You Can Ask Google to Answer Just About Any Question, But Can You Ask Google For Legal Advice?
More and more we all turn to Google for answers to our every day questions. Dear Google: how far in advance can I buy movie tickets for the new Sex and the City Movie? Dear Google: will vitamin C serum really stop these fine lines around my eyes from getting worse? We ask Google for answers from our Blackberries and iPhones over lunch. We ask Google for measurement conversions when cooking – how many cups are in a pint? We even ask Google for answers to medical questions. But can we ask Google for legal advice? Google can answer everything else, right? So why not legal questions? Can’t Google lower our business’s legal costs?
True to my attorney-self, I answer: it depends. Yes, Google can answer any legal question you pose and make you more knowledgeable about a relevant legal issue. No, Google cannot apply the law to your business’s particular legal situation, taking into account the variable factors that inevitably make each legal issue unique; nor can Google identify related legal issues that will arise in the future and help you avoid costly legal mistakes. Additionally, while there is a wealth of legal information online, only some of it is reliable. Attorneys are increasingly using websites and blogs as a marketing and referral reinforcement tool, providing basic legal information in their areas of practice and legal updates on emerging issues. As a result, there are a growing number of attorneys providing sources of legal research online; and when you pose your legal question to Google, Google will faithfully respond by providing you a list of links to numerous potential answers, including links to these websites and blogs.
When determining the reliability of a legal resource on the Internet, use common sense. The best sources of legal information are on state and federal government websites and state bar association websites. Both of these sources provide information which can be very helpful for businesses in a variety legal practice areas. For example, The State Bar of California’s website provides information on bringing a case in small claims court, which is often an effective recourse for recovering outstanding unpaid accounts. State and federal government websites also generally have business portals, combining online business resources, including legal resources, in one place on their websites, such as the U.S. Government’s Business.gov.
When viewing legal information on individual attorneys’ and law firm’s websites, take a look at the attorney profiles to give you a sense of who is giving you the advice and what their experience is. Most of the largest law firms, which charge many hundreds of dollars by the hour for their legal advice, frequently post articles about emerging legal issues in just about every area of the law. Because these law firms are protective of their reputations and tend to hire highly qualified attorneys, their websites and blogs can provide a reliable source of legal information.
At the end of the day, however, actual human attorneys are in a better position to answer your legal questions than Google, although Google can certainly make you a more legally savvy business woman.
